Flushing and disinfecting apparatus for spittoons



Jan. :11 1927.

FIJUS HING [\ND DISINFECTING APPARATUS FOR SPITTOONS Filed Feb. 26. 1926Patented Jan. 11, 1927.

FRITZ KESER, OF SCHOMBERG, NEAR WILDBAD, GERMANY.

FLUSHING AND DISINFECTING APPARATUS F03 SPITTOONS.

. Application filed February 26, 1925, Serial No. 90,833, and in GermanyDecember 1, 1924.

This invention relates to an apparatus for disinfecting and flushingspittoons and similar articles in, at the same time, rendering innocuousand removing the sputum.

The improved apparatus according to the invention differs from theapparatus which have hitherto been used for this purpose in that thespittoons or other vessels inserted into the apparatus can be emptied,disinfected and subsequently flushed with clean water, the sputum aswell as the flushing water being at the same time disinfected andremoved without the necessity to touch the sputum or the vessels.Hitherto separate apparatus were required for carrying out thesedifferent proceedings, the expectorating vessels having tobesuccessively rinsed. Owing to the factthat, according to the invention, the emptying, disinfecting and rinsing with pure water can becarried out in one and the same apparatus, these disagreeablemanipulations which are not at all free from danger are considerablysimplified and require less time than at present, any infection byspilled bacillae containing water being further prevented.

The new apparatus consists n ainly of a box of enamelled sheet iron orthe like. which can be tightly closed and is mounted, at the approximateheight of a table, on a pedestal of convenient construction. For thebottom plate of the box a trough shape receptacle of the same materialas the box is substituted.

In the lower portion of the upper-box a number of tubes are arrangedparallel to one another which have vertical tubular sockets on the uppersurface, each tubular socket having a shutting off valve and in theupper end narrow holes. On the inner surface of the wall of the box,closely under the upper edge of the same, is arranged a similar tube thesquirting holes of which are directed towards the centre of the box.

The trough-shaped lower portion of the box is slightly inclined towardsone end and has at the lowest point an outflow tube adapted to be shutoff by a valve. In this trough-shaped bottom part a horizontal tube isarranged which has a great number of narrow squirting holes directedtowards all sides.

The parallel tubes in the bottom portion of the box, the squirting tubeunder the upper edge of the box and the tube of the trough-shaped bottompart have each a sepa- 'ate shuttingoff valve at the outer side of thebox, all said tubes being connected by a common pipe with a mixingbattery.

The box proper has a horizontal partition inclined from all sidestowards the centre and consisting of Wide meshed wire gauze or the like.At the centre of which partition an opening is arranged which is adaptedto be closedby a lid.

On the box a manometer, a thermometer and a safety valve may bepreferably arranged. l g Y The expectorating vessels filled with sputumand stored in a box of sheet iron are successively emptied into the boxof the apparatus th lower trough-shaped part of which has previouslybeen filled with clean Water up to the height of the tube in said bottompart, the expectorating vessels being then placed, upside down, onto thetubular sockets in the box, the shutting off valves for said tubularsockets having been previously opened. The lid of the box is thentightly closed by means of screws and the expectorating vessels are wellcleaned on theinside and outside by means of fresh water squirting outthrough the tubular sockets, the flushing water being collected in thelower trough-shaped bottom part of the apparatus. The supply pipe forfresh water is then shut off and hot steam is made to flow out throughthe upper tube in the box, the tubular sockets in said box and the tubein the Q trough-shaped bottom part of the apparatus. The liquid in thetrough-shaped bottom part begins to boil after a short time until theentire contents of the box are heated at'uniform boiling temperature.The steam in excess escapes through the safety valve. This process isterminated after about 10 minutes, all the noxious germs in the sputumin the flushing water and in the vessels being killed by the hightemperature and by the action of the steam. After the steam supply hasbeen interrupted, the flushing water can be removed by opening the valveunderneath the bottom part of the apparatus.

The vessels in the apparatus are then rinsed with hot water andsubsequently with cold water, whereupon they are ready for use.

The boxes for transporting the expcctorating vessels are preferably ofsuch size that they can be cleaned and sterilized ill the apparatus inthe same manner as the vessels.

An embodiment of the invention is shown, by way of example, in theaccompanying drawings in which 2- Fig. 1 shows a central verticalsection of the open apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the closed apparatus seen from the rightend of Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 shows on larger scale one of the tubular flushing sockets in planview.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of Fig. 4.

The box l, having a lid i fixed by means of hinges 2 and a trough-shapedlower part 1, is mounted on the pedestal 5 of convenient construction.

From the mixing battery not shown on the drawing the different media aresupplied, through a pipe 6 to a branch pipe 8 having a shutting offvalve 7 to a system of four parallel tubes 9 arranged in the bottomportion of the box 4, and to a flushing tube 10 arranged underneath theupper edge of the box along the entire inner surface of the walls ofsaid box. A branch tube 12 fitted with a shutting off valve 11 connectsthe pipe 6 with a flushing tube 13 arranged in the trough-shaped lowerpart 21, of the box. On the upper surfaces of the tubes 9 tubularsockets 14- are mounted at convenient distances apart, each tubularsocket having a shutting off valve 15.

As can be seen from Fig. 4: a plate 16, having a number of apertures, isfixed on each tubular socket 14 above the valve 15 said plate beingdesigned to serve as support for the expectorating vessel 17 turnedupside down. The upper end 18 of each tubular socket 1 1, projectinginto the expectorating vessel 17 has narrow holes so that it is similarto the rose of a shower bath.

The box 4 has a horizontal partition 19 which is inclined from all sidestowards the centre and has at the centre an opening adapted to be closedby a lid.

In the lower portion of the pedestal 5 a perforated bottom plate 21 maybe arranged of larger size are preferably fitted with a manometer andsafety valve.

F or removing the flushing water mixed with the sputum and the like, anoutflow pipe 26 having a shutting oil" valve is zn"eferably arranged atthe lowest point of the trough-shaped lower part 1 of the box, saiooutflow pipe ending in the drain pipe.

The apparatus shown in the drawing serves for holding 36 expectoratingvessels, but it may be of larger or oi smaller size.

I. claim An apparatus for cleaning and disinfecting expectoratingvessels and the like, com prising in combination a box of enamelledsheet metal, a pedestal on which said box is mounted, a lid forairtightly closing said box, a squirting tube underneath the upper edgeof said box around the inner surfaces of the walls of said box, a numberof parallel tubes in the lower portion of said box connected with saidupper squirting tube. vertical tubular sockets on said horizontal tubes,a shutting off valve in each of said vertical tubular sockets the upperportion of said sockets being perforated like a rose of a shower bath, aplate on each of said tubular sockets and designed to serve as supportfor an expeetorating vessel turned upside down, a horizontal partitionin the lower end otsaid box inclined from all sides towards the centreconsisting of a wide meshed wire gauze and having an opening at thecentre, a lid "for closing said opening, a lower troughshaped partunderneath said horizontal partition, an outflow tube at the lowestpoint of said trough-shaped part, a shutting off valve between saidtroughpart and said outflow tube.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRITZ KESER.

